You know, maybe Mike Scioscia was onto something with this whole ‘moving Mike Trout to the two-spot’ thing, after all.
Considering the kind of season that the Los Angeles Angels super-sophomore had in 2012, there aren’t too many single-game accomplishments that Trout hasn’t added to his young career thus far. That said, a grand slam was one of them.
No more — the 21-year old’s first-inning bomb in the Angels’ nine-run first inning on Saturday checked off that achievement in a hurry.
Not only was it the exclamation mark of the team’s complete and utter destruction of Detroit Tigers starter Rick Porcello, it also helped the now 5-10 team to win consecutive games for just the second time all season — a much-needed shot in the arm, considering the early-season mess this team had been to this point.
Moreover, Trout’s move to the No. 2 spot in the order has continued to pay dividends.
Although the debated move got off to a rocky start with the outfielder going 0-for-8 through his first two games, he has been on fire since, recording multiple hits in five of his last six games, including Saturday’s 2-for-5 day at the plate.
Was this just Trout coming around as expected? Perhaps, but coincidence or not, the six-game hitting streak (with five straight games with an extra-base hit) has at least temporarily (if not permanently) put to rest any fears of a sophomore slump in 2013 after the All-Star bottomed out at a .618 OPS just a little over a week ago.
On top of that, putting the young star in a position to drive in runs has paid off in spades in a tactical sense too, as Saturday’s contest was the third straight in which he’s recorded multiple RBIs. With nine runs driven in over his last three games, Trout isn’t just the Angels’ best hitter right now, but also their top run producer.
So yeah, I guess you could say that Scioscia is looking pretty smart these last few days. In fact, considering how well Bryce Harper is doing in the No. 3 spot for the Washington Nationals …
